Heart's Truth
by Pachamama9
Summary: Aimee Myrine doesn't know it yet, but she's fallen head over heels in love with Daphne Greengrass. She can't admit it to anyone. Not to Daphne, not to her dorrmmates, not to her best friend, not to herself... Before the toxic denial of her sexuality can break her, Aimee must truly learn what it means to love and to be loved.
1. Accidentally In Love

A/N: _Here's_ _a_ _fic_ _about_ _my_ _OC_ _Aimee_ _Myrine_ _and_ _Daphne_ _Greengrass. I know I've used the character before, but this is a whole new story._

 _Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns HP._

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was beautiful. She had long, smooth blonde hair and soft, creamy skin. She was tall as well, and she had long legs; everything she wore seemed to accentuate her curves so that every boy was drooling over her. Even in her simple school uniform, her skirt hugged her hips, and the hem reached halfway down her thigh, showing off black tights with delicate vine patterns on them. She had high cheekbones and perfectly sculpted eyebrows and soft pink lips and a brilliant smile and dazzling green eyes and—

"Miss Myrine!"

Aimee's elbow slipped off of her desk, and her chin banged sharply against the wood. Startled and rubbing the new mark on her face, she responded quickly to her professor, her face growing warm with shame. "Yes, Professor?"

"Did you hear my question?" Professor Snape snapped. "Or were you too busy daydreaming?"

Aimee flushed, her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. "I...er...I was...I was just..."

"If I wanted to hear you babble on like this, Miss Myrine, then I would have given you a Babbling Beverage. Can you tell me what I just said?"

"I..." Aimee began, but she could not remember. "No. Sir. I...don't."

"I didn't think so," he said curtly. "That's ten points from Ravenclaw for not paying attention in class, Miss Myrine. Now, I asked what a bezoar could do, Mis—"

"It can cure any poison!" she blurted out, trying to make up for her mistake. When Professor Snape gave her a blazing look for her interruption, she flushed again. "Er... it can. Cure poisons. Sir." She was embarrassed about being caught in her daydream and had not yet recovered from it.

"Thank you, Miss Myrine," her professor said, meaning exactly the opposite, "but I was not asking you. That's five points from Ravenclaw. Mister Ramirez?"

Aimee's best friend, Jaime Ramirez, gave her a oh-well sort of look and repeated Aimee's answer. Soon Professor Snape had moved on and continued with the lecture for the day, and Aimee tried to take notes as best she could. However, she was still caught off guard and humiliated that her teacher had caught her when she was daydreaming. What would he think, now that his most attentive student was barely focusing, daydreaming about—

"You alright there, Aimee?" Jaime asked.

Potions class was over now and Aimee was still caught up in what had happened. "Er...yeah," she said quickly. "We've got lunch next, right?"

He nodded. "Can we head up to the tower first? I've got to grab our poster for Ancient Runes. Wanna work on it during lunch?"

"Sure," she said.

As they climbed the spiral staircase to Ravenclaw Tower, Jaime grabbed her arm. "What were you doing in Potions?" he asked. "You never nod off in class like that."

"I wasn't sleeping," she said defensively. "I was just—"

"Just what? Thinking about a certain someone?"

Angered by the emphasis on the word 'someone,' Aimee snapped, "Shut up. I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, Ames," he said, smirking a little. "Who is he? Do I know—"

"I said shut up! You don't know anything about it!" They had stopped going up the stairs now, stuck on the third step from the top.

Jaime, startled by her sudden anger, stared at her in shock. Finally, he shrugged. "Fine," he said coldly. "You don't have to tell me. I'm only your best friend, after all."

Aimee hated it when he did this. "Jaime..." she protested. "Come on, Jaime, it was just—" But she did not stop him, and she let him approach the bronze eagle knocker on his own. However, Jaime had always been rubbish at riddles, so when he spent a good two minutes giving answers like 'the universe' and 'time', she stepped forward, giving her best friend a knowing look. "Eternity," she said, and the door swung open.

Jaime glared at her, but Aimee knew he had always been terrible at holding grudges. By the time they got to lunch, he was mostly back to his normal self. Aimee held his poster still as he added finishing touches with a nice, shiny ink. "You start that essay for History of Magic?" she asked.

Jaime snorted. "We were assigned it this morning, Ames. How could I have—" He stopped. "Wait... did you...?"

Aimee gave him a sheepish look. "Just the introduction paragraph," she admitted. "I just finished the classwork early in Transfiguration and had a little extra time on my hands..."

"The introduction paragraph? Are you serious?"

She shrugged, trying to hide her grin behind her lips. "And the first body paragraph," she confessed.

"Aimee!" Jaime cried, shoving her playfully. "You're making the rest of us look bad, honestly."

"I'm just managing my time well, Jaime. Don't you want to play Exploding Snaps tonight instead of doing homework?"

Instead of answering her, he only groaned. "What are you doing now, then?" he muttered, gesturing to her hand, now scribbling on parchment. She paused for a moment to dip her quill in ink and to say, "Potions homework."

Jaime's head hit the desk, and he mumbled, "Honestly…"

Daphne Greengrass had freckles scattered over her face like a dusting of powdered sugar; Aimee had never gotten close enough to count them. Daphne's face grew closer, and her hair smelled like vanilla. Daphne smiled at her gently, the dimple in her left cheek showing. Aimee opened her mouth to speak—

"Ames!" Jaime was looking at her with an odd expression. "I've only asked you three times! Am I doing this right?"

Aimee blinked, painting over the picture in her mind. "I…" Her best friend was performing a spell for her. "What spell again?"

His wand arm dropped. "Are you paying attention at all?"

"Sorry, sorry…"

"It's fine, just—" Instead of continuing his spell, he sat down beside her. "Is everything okay? You've been acting kinda weird all day."

Her friend wasn't wrong; Daphne Greengrass had broken up with her boyfriend the night before, so Aimee had been daydreaming _all day_. "Yes, yes, of course! Everything's fine. Everything's great." Overboard, Einstein. "What spell did you want me to check, Jaime?"

He shook his head. "Forget the spell. I want to know what's going on with you." He looked expectantly at her.

Her face grew hot. "Nothing."

"Seriously, Ames. Are you in trouble? Is someone—"

"No! Of course not. You know I'd tell you if something was wrong."

His face fell the tiniest bit. "I thought that before, but now I'm not so sure."

Aimee felt her guilt slice open her throat like a steel dagger; she clenched her fingers into fists. "Jaime…" Again, she faltered. There was no possible way for her to explain this to him. Aimee herself could barely think about it without mentally slapping herself. How could she tell her best friend if she couldn't even admit it to herself? Every inch of her skin awoke, startled by her inability to speak. Talking to Jaime had always seemed so easy, but now…

"Aimee." He took her hand. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She knew. But she couldn't.

It happened in the Three Broomsticks a couple weeks later. She and Jaime were sitting at a corner booth, sipping on butterbeer and talking. Sometime around twelve o'clock, Aimee recognized a tall, blonde girl walking toward them. Her heart fluttered inside of her chest; it was Daphne Greengrass. She wore low-cut, Slytherin green sweater and dark, bootcut jeans. She wore her hair in a messy French braid, secured at the end by a silver clip.

Jaime shifted beside her. "Who's that?"

Her heartbeat sped up. "She—er, Daphne. Greengrass. Slytherin?"

Daphne was closer, and closer, and closer, and suddenly Aimee could spot that tiny scar on her left cheek— "Can I sit with you?" she asked.

Aimee nodded mutely.

Jaime, thankfully, took over for her. "Of course."

Daphne Greengrass grinned. Aimee blushed. Daphne looked perfect from afar, but now that Aimee could see all the tiny imperfections that made her even more beautiful. "Thanks!" She slid into the booth beside Aimee, tossing her knapsack beside her. "I'm sorry… I know you probably don't know me. I'm Daphne...Greengrass." She looked at Aimee and smiled. "You're in my Muggle Studies class, right? And…"

"Charms," Aimee finished. "And Potions."

She smiled again. "Right." She stared down at her hands for a moment. "Look, sorry to intrude on you, I just…" She glanced over at the door. "You're the only person I know here other than my friends, and I… I don't want to sit with them right now. Are you sure it's okay?"

Aimee nodded again, her head bobbing up and down as if under the Imperius curse. "Yeah—Yes. Yes."

They didn't ask her why she didn't want to sit with her friends, but Aimee soon discovered that Daphne Greengrass was as kind as she was beautiful. Unlike some of the other Slytherins she knew, Daphne was sweet and funny. They bonded over a shared hate for Potions and a love for Defense Against the Dark Arts, talking about books and Celestina Warbeck and even their families. Aimee was one of four children, but the only one born magical in her family. Daphne had a younger sister named Astoria, a third year, as well as a younger brother named Tomas, a first year.

When they got back from Hogsmeade, Aimee felt warm all over. Collapsing into one of their common room's plush couches, she sighed. Today… Talking to Daphne was like playing a song she already knew.

After twelve, she went downstairs to meet with Jaime in the common room, swaddled in her Muggle sweatshirt and pajama pants decorated in Cornish pixies. Most of the other students had already gone to bed, but she and Jaime sat by the fireplace instead.

"What's up?" she asked. He had been the one to initiate their meeting, after all.

He turned to face her, and to her surprise, he was smiling widely. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you...what?"

"Why you've been acting strange all week."

Aimee's stomach dropped. "Why I..."

He lowered his voice. "Daphne," he said simply. "You _like_ her."

Her neck felt hot. "Wh-what?"

He didn't seem to notice her discomfort, so he continued. "I saw the way you looked at her this afternoon. You never even looked over at me. You couldn't take your eyes off of her."

"No—"

"It all makes sense now! Daydreaming in class, stammering when she sat with us, everything! I mean, at first I thought you were just nervous for our Potions exam, but now I know—"

" _What?_ " Aimee, humiliated, interrupted him. "You think that I'm…that I… No!"

His smile seemed to melt from his face. "You…"

She stood up. She could barely look at him. "How could you think that about me?" She tried to laugh it off, but the only emotion that burst from her was anger. "You think you can…" She couldn't form sentences, she couldn't form words, she— "Y-you don't have that right! You don't—" She pressed her hand against her forehead and then her mouth. She had to be careful. If some other Ravenclaw heard them… "God…" She thought she might throw up. Or cry. Or both.

Jaime was standing now, too, and he put his hand on her shoulder. "Ames, I didn't mean to upset you; I just—"

She jerked away. " _No_!" Realizing she was too loud, she dropped her voice to a frustrated whisper. "No! You think—you think you can just accuse me, say that I'm—" Merlin's balls. "That I—" She couldn't finish her sentence. "I—"

Jaime watched her, concerned and confused, as her vision blurred with tears. She was vibrating with emotion, trying to hold it in by pressing her nails into her scalp. Somewhere in the back of her head, she realized that Jaime had never seen her cry.

She took one look at his pitying expression and ran out of the common room.

She made it halfway to the girls' bathroom on the second floor before tripping over something on the ground and sprawling on the carpeted floor between the sleeping portraits. The newfound pain in her knee induced her first round of tears, and she found herself sobbing quietly between the paintings, curling her knees to her chest in the darkness.

She spent the night with Madame Pomfrey, complaining of cramps, but the stern woman took one look at Aimee's red-rimmed eyes and refused to give her any pain-relieving potion. However, she did offer a Dreamless Sleep Potion that Aimee gladly accepted. Pomfrey allowed her to stay until midday before telling her that she had to go to class.

She went through the rest of the day without speaking to Jaime; she skipped dinner so she could be alone. She went to the library instead, trying to drown out the chaos in her head with magical history.

Someone tapped her shoulder, so she turned. _Daphne Greengrass_. "Can I sit with you?"

Aimee smiled weakly. "Sure."

The blonde girl slipped in beside her, pulling a book from her bag. And instead of asking her why she wasn't in Charms that morning or why her curly hair was a complete mess, she sat with her in silence, reading. And when she got up at the end of dinner, she touched Aimee's shoulder and said, "Have a nice night."

Aimee didn't want to face Jaime again, so she went straight to her dormitory and to her bed. The other girls left her alone, mostly, which she was grateful for. She laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about what Jaime had said.

It just wasn't possible. Sure, she thought about girls sometimes, but not in… Not in _that_ way. She just thought some girls were beautiful, that's all. She'd had crushes on boys before, for Merlin's sake! So she couldn't possibly be… She squeezed her eyes shut. Memories bubbled onto the surface of her mind, threatening to spill over, but she shoved them down. How could he think that about her? She'd loved that boy wizard band when she was a first year, just the same as all of the other girls. She _was_ the same as all of the other girls. She had to be.

That night, her mind played her a chorus of memories instead of her usual magic-infused dreams. In the first, she was young, around eight or nine, and she was standing in the line for the cashier with her mother, hanging on the end of the cart. Her eyes wandered to a magazine at her eye level; it depicted a lithe, gorgeous woman with smoky eyes and dark red lips, her skin airbrushed to perfection, wearing little more than a bathing suit. An odd, hot feeling rose within her, and she stared at the magazine, entranced by the woman.

Suddenly, she was twelve, and she was at a baseball game with her father. He handed her a pair of sunglasses and a tube of sunblock. "You don't want to burn, do you?" He smiled. She rubbed the ointment into her skin and slipped on the sunglasses. It took her a while, but soon she recognized that no one could see her eyes with the sunglasses on. Freed, she glanced at the people around her. Men. Women. Children. A teenage girl brushed past her, and she watched her intently, freely, as she passed her and ran to catch up with her friends, wearing jeans shorts and a crop top. She _watched_ her as she went, knowing that no one in her family… No one around her could see her eyes, so they didn't know that when she let herself go in those couple moments, allowing herself to see a girl, she'd never felt more _free_.

Then, she was thirteen, and her whole family was staying at a beach house with some family friends. She couldn't remember the daughter's name, but she was Aimee's age, with sparkling green eyes and soft skin. Aimee, her little sister, and the girl, all slept in the same room together. "Come on, sweetheart," her mum said, reminding her to stay quiet. Aimee blinked at her. "It's time to go. Say goodbye to your friends." After shaking her shoulder to wake her and whispering a quiet goodbye, Aimee hugged the girl, knowing they most likely wouldn't see each other again until the end of the summer. Both of them were bleary with sleep, their eyes half-closed, and Aimee received a warm embrace in return. As she had just woken up as well, she was barely in control of herself, and without thinking, she pressed her lips against the other girl's cheek, kissing the spot just beside her mouth. It was only after she had done it that Aimee realized what she had done, and icy fear raced through her. What if her friend thought—

Aimee woke up sweaty with her curls plastered against her neck, and she stumbled out of bed, not bothering to find her slippers. She felt odd, as though someone had taken a corkscrew and twisted it right between her ribs, poisoning her. Panicked, she glanced out the window, afraid that someone could see right into her heart and into her disgusting brew of feelings. It was still dark out.

She ran into the bathroom and locked the door, barely able to breathe. She'd never thought about it before. She'd never _wanted_ to think about it before. It was always just a part of her, like a little parasite in the back of her brain, forever sucking at her normalcy. Now, she was _terrified_. What if someone found out? She lived in an all-girls dorm… What would her roommates do? Oh, God—She ran to the toilet, shoved the lid up, and threw up violently, clutching each porcelain side. How would she ever get through this?

She stopped crying at the sound of knocking on the bathroom door. "Aimee?" called a quiet voice. "Are you okay?' Aimee pressed a weak hand against her mouth, wiping away saliva and vomit. Her shoulders shook. If she spoke, surely Padma would know that she was upset. "Aimee?" She stood up and turned on the faucet, washing her face. When she finally left the bathroom, Padma was standing outside, concerned. "Are you…"

"Fine," she said, and she climbed into bed.

The next day, she skipped breakfast again so that she wouldn't have to face Jaime or Padma. Instead, she went to the library, finding an empty table and pulling out her textbook. She tried to lose herself in the easy rhythm of Muggle Studies, but it seemed an impossible task with all of the rediscovered thoughts clouding her brain.

Someone slid into the chair across from her. Blonde. Slytherin. _Daphne_. "Hey," the beautiful girl said. "Not up for breakfast today either, yeah?"

Aimee shrugged.

"Not up for talking today, then?" She smiled, and Aimee's cheeks warmed. "I understand."

So they sat in silence again, reading quietly.

After about a week, Jaime caught her in the hall while she walked to the Ravenclaw common room after Charms class. "Aimee," he said, running to catch up to her. "Aimee, please. Wait!"

She stopped, turning around. She spotted her best friend; it was obvious that he had been running for a little longer than he was used to, for he was panting and red-faced. She didn't say anything, waiting for him to talk instead.

After catching his breath, he spoke. "Ames, I'm sorry about what I said." Almost paranoid, she glanced around them. Anyone could be listening. "I didn't mean to...assume anything. I just… I thought…" He sighed. "I'm sorry. And I miss you. And I just want to be friends again. I never meant to hurt you or anything with what I said." He smiled sheepishly. "I got you a gift, if that makes it any better." He held out a shiny parcel to her. "It's, er…"

She took it from him, shrugging off her knapsack so she could open it. Inside the box was a set of brand-new notebooks. Unable to help it, she beamed. Jaime relaxed upon seeing her grin. "Thank you," she said, barely able to contain herself. He knew she _loved_ notebooks, and always knew how to make her smile. He was her best friend, after all. "And… I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to ignore you. I…" Those stupid thoughts began pressing at the back of her skull again. "I'm sorry. And I accept your bribe, you nutter."

Now, Jaime was beaming as well. He wrapped her in a bear hug. "Fantastic! Now, who's up for a trip to the kitchens?"

They stole downstairs behind the secret portrait to meet the house-elves there. Elated by their visit, the elves gifted them with pastries and sweets, and in return, Aimee and Jaime played duet after duet on the piano. Together, they had moved the piano to the kitchens in their third year after discovering the incredibly strong silencing spell cast over the room. They played into their fingers were sore and their wrists cramped, and they ate until powdered sugar coated their laps. Overwhelmed with joy, she sat by the fire with Jaime, licking the jelly from her fingers. She couldn't have been more happy.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading!_

 _Challenges used:_

 _Original Character Boot Camp - #30 (delicate), Aimee Myrine_

 _Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #228 (Romance)_

 _If You Dare Challenge - #539 (Heart's truth)_

 _365 Prompts - #263 (gay)_

 _Writing Club - Disney Challenge - Songs - #2 (Shiny) - Write about someone pretending to be something they're not._

 _Writing Club - Lizzy's Loft - #7 (Nadine Brandes) - Write about a Ravenclaw._

 _Writing Club -Amber's Attic - #6 (Dirty Dancing) Write about falling in love with someone you shouldn't._

 _Writing Club - Count Your Buttons - Characters - #2 (Daphne Greengrass)_

 _Writing Club - Ami's Audio Admirations - #13 (The Suffering Game) - (genre) hurt/comfort_

 _Writing Club - Emy's Emporium - Bonus: Nostalgia - Write a story using flashbacks._

 _Writing Club - Bex's Basement - #13 (Captain America: Civil War) - Write about someone finding a long buried truth._

 _Fantastic Beasts - #38 Incubus/Succubus (dream), #22 Bosnia and Herzegovina (genre - romance)_

 _Autumn - False Confession Day - Write about someone lying._

 _Library - #12 - Goshawk's Guide to Herbology by Miranda Goshawk - Start an MC using an OC._

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Performing Arts: Halloween Monologues - Task #3 - (genre) hurt/comfort_

 _The Golden Snitch - Through The Universe - #112 (color - cream) - Molecular Cloud_

 _The Golden Snitch - Ollivander's Wand Shop - Neville Longbottom - 13 inch - Write about a Ravenclaw character._

 _Fanfiction Writing Month: November []_


	2. Stand By You

_A/N: Next chapter! This one's more about the growing relationship between Aimee and Daphne. Warning for hints of sexual assault._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Aimee didn't bring up their conversation, not wanting to talk about it, so Jaime didn't press. Instead, they avoided the topic altogether and went back to their usual rhythm. In the afternoon, during her free period between Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Aimee Myrine would meet Daphne Greengrass in the library. They could read in silence comfortably with one another, but sometimes they would pass little notes to each other. Some were as simple as _How's your book_? Yet others prompted stirring questions: _what frightens you most?_ Their silent conversations and secret smiles could bounce back and forth between their books.

One snowy Thursday, Aimee and Daphne were sitting at their normal table when Aimee stole a glance at the Slytherin girl. She was particularly invested in her book, so the Ravenclaw read the title: _To Kill A Mockingbird._

Daphne Greengrass, the Slytherin girl whose family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, whose parents taught her about pureblood supremacy… She was reading not only an American novel, but a _Muggle_ -authored American novel?

Aimee could only gape in shock. "You're reading that?" she whispered.

Daphne, upon realizing she had seen the cover, flushed. "Sorry—" She couldn't think of another excuse. "No, I'm not sorry. It's a bloody fantastic book!"

As the librarian, Madame Pince, gave her a deadly glare, Aimee burst into laughter, and Daphne followed suit. Needless to say, they were both told to leave the library and "study" somewhere else. Taking their knapsacks, they walked together, cackling uncontrollably. Eventually, Aimee jerked her head at her friend. "Come on," she said. "I've got the perfect place to go."

So they ran through the corridor like they were first years, dodging other students and ghosts until they reached a painting of a young woman dressed in a beautiful wedding gown. Daphne tapped the painting with her wand. " _Thedrali_ ," she said, and the painting opened as though it was Gryffindor common room. Daphne vanished behind the portrait. "Come on, you tortoise!" Aimee rushed after her. Almost immediately, Aimee and Daphne entered a small balcony, lined with dark metal railings and vines.

"Where are we?" she asked. She watched Daphne's blonde hair danced behind her in chorus with the wind.

Daphne smiled. "I used to come up here whenever school or life got too tough." She sighed. "It's a lovely spot."

Aimee and Daphne sat down together on a little wooden bench, relishing the view and the time alone together.

They rarely visited the library anymore; often, they would sit on that bench and talk. Sometimes, they spent their evenings together, rushing to their secret spot after dinner so they could spend time together. Once, Daphne arrived late, almost a half hour after their usual meeting. When she arrived, settling onto the bench, she asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go for it," Aimee replied.

The blonde girl frowned at the horizon for a moment. "Do you ever… Do you ever feel like you don't belong?"

Aimee spun sideways to face her, sitting cross-legged beside her on the bench. "What happened?"

She shrugged, staring at her hands.

"Daphne," she said, "I know you. Tell me what happened."

Aimee began to notice little things about her, like how she twisted her Greengrass family ring around her finger until it left a red mark on her skin, or how her hair was slightly more disheveled than usual. Daphne's usually crisp white blouse was wrinkled in the front, as though someone had grabbed it in a hurry, and her Slytherin green tie was unkempt, yanked away from her throat. Aimee, finally realizing that her friend was distressed, grabbed her hands. "What is it?" Aimee asked. Gently, she pried her hands away from each other and grasped them in hers. "Daphne, please." She ignored the hot blood pulsing in her ears.

When Daphne looked back up, her eyes glimmered with the rhythmic throb of an ocean wave. She bit her lip. "You know I broke up with…my boyfriend, back in September?" Aimee nodded. "I…" Daphne bit her lip. "Teddy… He was part of my friend group, you know, of Slytherins? And he… The break up wasn't easy. We haven't been on speaking terms since, and he just started—"

Aimee was legitimately scared. Daphne was a surespoken Slytherin, and she'd never imagined a day where this confident girl would be so unnerved by something that she couldn't communicate clearly.

Daphne was crying now, and Aimee felt her brown skin warm. She leaned forward and hugged her friend, their shoulders meeting. She rubbed Daphne's back slowly, in concurrent circles, sensing the vibrations of each shaky breath calm at her own touch. When she finally stopped crying, Daphne put her face in her hands and explained everything.

Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass had been engaged since they were four per a decision made by the Greengrass and the Nott families to continue the pureblood family line, but the two hadn't officially dated on their own terms until their fourth year. They'd gone on several dates, and Daphne loved spending time with him. He was funny, smart, handsome… But Daphne only ever held hands with him. Holding hands with Teddy was nice. Safe. She loved Teddy. She was enamoured with him. But for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to take it any farther.

The summer before fourth year, she and Teddy saw a lot more of each other. Once, on a date to the park, they spent hours laughing and talking and holding hands. They even laid on the grass together, side by side, like a couple in an American movie without a care in the world.

Eventually, it grew dark, and Daphne reminded him she had to get home before nightfall. "I have to go," she said, and he grabbed her arm.

"Come on," he encouraged, his voice charming and sweet.

She laughed nervously and shook her head. "My parents are waiting for me," she replied. She didn't understand why her heart was pounding so loudly inside of her chest. "It's getting dark, and I have to—"

"Just stay for a little while longer," he whined; his hand was still around her wrist.

Daphne hated it when he did this; she felt like a horrible girlfriend and a liar whenever he begged her to stay. Was that what it was called? A girlfriend? She'd never really thought about it before, and she didn't want to think about it now. This is what she wanted, right? Teddy was...perfect. She shut herself up and moved to stand again. "I have to go—"

"Just a few more minutes," he pleaded, and he wouldn't let go. His fingers were tight around her arm.

The words rushed from her mouth as her heartbeat quickened and her stomach churned. "Sorry, sorry," she blurted out, but his hand was still there. "Have to—my mom, see, she said—I-I have to go."

Finally, he seemed to understand. "I'll walk you back," he said.

For some reason, she didn't want him to. She couldn't comprehend the racket inside of her chest, and she didn't know why her palms were slick with sweat. Was she...afraid? There was no reason to be; she was in the middle of a park where trees were scarce, and she was easily spotted form the street. She was being stupid. She was being stupid...again. She was—

He'd called her name twice then. Daphne blinked. "What?"

Teddy repeated his question: something about meeting again. She told him she'd have to check her calendar, but she wished he had never asked in the first place. Whenever he talked, she couldn't stop the question from ringing in her head, cracking the shield behind her eyes. This is what she wanted, right?

They reached the final block together, and she began to slide her hand out of his; it was routine. However, he held fast. "Bye," she said, attempting to let go again.

"Bye," he answered.

He pulled her closer.

She pulled away.

He pulled her back. _It's always like this_ , thought Daphne. _This tug-of-war. Back and forth and back and forth until I feel sick to my stomach_.

She thought he was trying to hug her, at first, but she soon realized that their faces were headed straight for one another, and she tugged away again. "Bye," she repeated, and then her heart belonged to the cold; it was beating so wetly and loudly that she thought he could hear it, too.

"Wait," said Teddy, and he tried again, still refusing to let go of her until she gave him what he wanted. What he deserved.

Her stomach felt like it was being strangled. Daphne twisted her arm out of his grip and jumped back, walking across the street without looking back at him. She could still feel the ghost of his fingers grasping her forearm, squeezing tighter to keep her from leaving him. Her wrist… It hurt a little, and she tried to rub the ache and her shame away. She couldn't stop thinking about it; he had wanted to kiss her. And she...didn't kiss him back. She didn't want to.

She didn't understand. There must have been something wrong with her. It was all she'd ever wanted, right? It had confused her before, but never like this. She tried never to think about it for too long.

Teddy stopped talking to her. Daphne tried to contact him—over family dinners, via owl, _anything_ to say she was sorry and she didn't mean to...whatever happened—but he didn't respond.

When they arrived at school again in September, she discovered why. In her dormitory, she found vulgar, lewd notes among her things. Teddy, angry that she had rejected him, had spread horrible rumors about her, claiming that she had cheated on him with multiple other partners and that she would do anything for a few bucks. Her friends, shocked by her supposed sexual exploits, eventually turned their backs on her.

Daphne ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it down as if trying to calm herself. She rubbed the back of her neck: once, twice, three times… Her nails left welts in her smooth skin.

Aimee had never seen Daphne like this. Honestly, the Ravenclaw was scared for her friend.

Finally, Daphne spoke again, but it was different. Darker. "This morning, I got some owls from some boys… Propositioning me." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I didn't respond… I-I burned them, but they—" Her voice broke. "They found me in the hallway."

Aimee's vision went red.

"I don't—I didn't—They pinned me against the wall, th-they _touched_ me, talking about what Teddy had told them about me, and I—" She was crying again. "I just stood there, _frozen_. I was so scared." She wiped her sleeve across her face. "Eventually, they left, but…" She gripped the back of her neck so tightly Aimee feared it would break and closed her eyes again.

"Daphne…" Aimee whispered finally. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. They… They're gonna pay for what they did to you, okay? We can tell Dumble—"

" _No!_ " Daphne's voice became an inhuman screech.

Aimee stared at her in shock.

"Not. Dumbledore. No." Daphne stood up, wringing her hands. "You can't tell anyone, okay? I just needed to tell _someone_."

"Daph, we can get them expelled, we can—"

"No, Aimee, you don't—" She shook her head furiously. "You don't understand. They're kids from _good_ families. The Sacred Twenty-Eight. Hogwarts wouldn't expel them if they _murdered_ someone. And besides…" Daphne stilled, stopping at the railing and gazing over the Black Lake. "It's my fault."

Aimee stood and moved to her friend's side. "No." When Daphne didn't respond, she repeated herself, louder. " _No._ None of this was your fault."

The blonde girl's hair swished gently as she shook her head. "If I hadn't turned Teddy down… If I had told someone about the letters…" Her last protest was quieter, almost too quiet to hear. "If I had fought back…"

"No! Daph, listen." Aimee touched Daphne's arm, and she flinched, shrinking in on herself. "It is your right as a _human being_ on this Earth to be able to control who can touch you and who can't. If you didn't want to kiss Teddy, then no one should force you to. Ever. You shouldn't feel obligated to kiss him back, even if you were friends. He doesn't get awarded a kiss or sex or _whatever_ just because you were dating. You should trust someone physically when _you're_ ready, and that's it." Daphne looked at Aimee. Her face was wet with tears. "And just because you didn't fight back doesn't mean those boys touching you was justified at all. Consent is consent, Daph, and you didn't give it to them, so they broke the law by touching you." Aimee could tell her friend was still on the fence about her claims, so she continued. "Would you blame someone who was under the Imperius curse?"

"Of course not."

"What about under a spell or a love potion?"

"No, no, but—"

"It's the same thing. If you didn't tell them it was okay, then they had no right to do it."

Daphne slumped onto the bench, so Aimee kneeled in front of her. "It's not your fault, Daphne. None of this is your fault." For the final time that day, Daphne burst into tears, sobbing into her hands, curling inward on herself. "Can I hug you?" Aimee asked softly.

Daphne gasped out a _yes_ , and Aimee gathered her friend into her arms, whispering, "It's okay, it's okay," into her ear. Daphne curled her hands around Aimee's shoulders, pressing her face into the gentle curve of her neck and crying. That night, Aimee Myrine put Daphne Greengrass back together, piece by piece. And, more importantly, Daphne fell in love.

* * *

 _A/N: I'll write more when I can, but I've gotta figure out where the story's going. Thanks for all your support, everyone!_

 _Challenges used:_

 _Fanfiction Writing Month: November [2295]_

 _Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge - #146 (color) Slytherin green_

 _If You Dare Challenge - #186 (Shrink)_

 _Original Character Boot Camp - #3 (throat), Aimee Myrine_

 _The Golden Snitch - Through The Universe - #36 (Circumpolar Star) - (word) always_

 _The Golden Snitch - Jurassic Fever - # 8 (Dilophosaurus) - Write about a character who has been given an unfair reputation._

 _The Golden Snitch - Ollivander's Wand Shop - Garrick Ollivander - Hornbeam - Write about an important moment for your OTP._

 _Hogwarts - The Library - Tales of Beedle the Bard by Beedle the Bard - Write 500 words of your multichap._

 _Writing Club - Lizzy's Loft - #5 (Jessica Kellgren-Fozard) - Write femslash._


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